Exclusive Preview: BATMAN BEYOND 2.0 Chapter 29

Mark of the Phantasm continues. Phantasm is back and we're finding out what happened in the one year gap when this volume started as well as some more history between Batman, Dick Grayson, and Barbara Gordon. You can check out our review of Chapter 28 HERE.

BATMAN BEYOND 2.0 Chapter 29

Written by Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel

Art by Phil Hester and Eric Gapstur

Color by Nick Filardi

Cover by Matteo Scalera and Moreno Dinisio

As Batman continues his search for Vigilante, Bruce Wayne and the Phantasm meet face-to-face for the first time in years...

On Sale: August 16, 2014

Why is it always Dick Grayson the Robins who suffer for Bruce's mistakes?
*Sigh* The price to pay for green underpants.

JUST BRING THE SHOW BACK!!!!

I like to think Bruce sometimes does the worst possible things to deliberately drive them away. Maybe they hate him for it for the rest of their lives, but that way at least they get to have a "rest of their lives".

Sigh, this idea that Batman is so self destructive is bothersome.....

Agreed. But they are usually so into the super-hero business that they can't get away even if they tried.

Well, I think Barbara has some part of the fault too,no? And I don't think it was in their plans for Barbara to became pregnant. But yes Bruce was a d!ck in this.

I haven't been reading 2.0, so can anyone explain to me what has happened last issue?

It was revealed that Bruce and Barbara did have a "relationship" and that Barbara is 7 weeks pregnant, and that Bruce is the father. Bruce confronts Dick to tell him the truth, since Dick is about to propose to Barbara. Dick attacks Bruce and Barbara appears to be going into labor out on the streets after stopping a mugging.

Okay, this sounds a lot like some soap opera. I thought it was something original and not something like a bad TV show.

Well it is a very original situation for the Bat Family. They had teased Bruce and Barbara being in a relationship from way back in Batman: The Animated Series. And Batman Beyond 2.0 has done a great job at building up tension and answering the long thought questions fans had for years. But then again I just summed up the events of last issue to you, I would recommend checking out the arc, to get the full scope of the reveal. Trust me it's not just some soap opera, there's alot of other moving parts your missing.

Yeah it seems like a good idea to answer what we, the fans, were asking but I mean the whole pregnancy thing sounds a little like some soap opera. Of course like you just said, I need to check out the whole arc on my own to fully comprehend what is happening and what are the emotions in the book right now. I do hope that when I read the story it would be far better than it sounds.

It has actually been very emotional. In a way it shows just how ruthless and unfeeling Bruce can be to people, he basically stabbed Dick in the back and Bruce knew how he felt about her. But we don't know what happens to the baby yet (although I have a pretty good idea), but it's great to see that were finally getting the answer as to why the Bat-family is so shattered by the time of Batman Beyond.

Well yea, but it's like the third or fourth time they've basically painted him as incapable of maintaining relationships/or companionship. I've never liked the idea of Bruce dying alone in his cave, but i accepted it for Batman Beyond. But now it's like they keep drilling in the point that he almost deserved to have everything, including being batman taken from him.

I haven't been reading the arc, but from what I've read about people talking about it...I'm not sure you can say he deserved it. More it seems like he had a moment of weakness, which honestly seems amazing and beautiful for Batman seeing as his entire life has been about him tearing out his weaknesses by the root.

That's not to say what he did to Dick is okay, or that he (Bruce) didn't start punishing himself immediately (because of his personality...he probably did), but to say that he was weak for a moment and that moment becomes another tragic event. That is the tune of his life, he was too weak to save his parents. Now he's too weak to save his family. It reads more like Greek Tragedy than Soap Opera to me and I like it. But more than that I can see that they are all victims at the end of it, just in very different ways.

Well the way i see it there's the life marred by tragedy but defined heroism who we can sort of see and respect. And then there's the guy who has lost everyone close to him, not because of tragedy but because he's left them all feeling like pawns on a board who he manipulated and used. And to me that's not beautiful, that's not pushing people away for their protection, that's just him using people and abusing their trust. Its bothersome. More so because as we've seen this isn't the first or last time that it's been shown that in this universe he doesn't have anyone.